10 Companies Similar to Zoom
In 1876, Alexander Bell, the father of the telephone, patented the first telephone in the U.S. One hundred and fifty years later, video calls are the most popular form of digital communication worldwide. Meetings are a crucial part of any job. They promote effective communication in all businesses and help ensure everything runs smoothly. When the coronavirus hit and all businesses were closed, there was a massive shift in work culture as the office moved to the internet.
Video conferencing and online meetings proved very effective for team collaboration, with everyone working from home. Zoom is a video conferencing and remote working platform that quickly rose to fame during the coronavirus pandemic. In March 2020, Zoom’s daily users went from 10 Million to over 200 Million in 3 months. With almost every business in the world, and schools using zoom to conduct their business and classes daily, people started to discover some of the platform’s shortcomings. Zoom’s security was vulnerable as hackers started to steal customer data, and meetings started getting uninvited participants.
Nowadays, there are so many platforms other than Zoom that businesses can use to conduct online meetings, such as google meet, Skype, Microsoft teams, and Teamviewer, to mention a few. So what are some video conferencing platforms similar to zoom? We compiled a list of 10 alternatives to Zoom that you can use.
10. Slack
Slack has become a top-rated platform for businesses and teams to use while working remotely. It is well known for its instant messaging features. It is popular because even though it allows for video conferencing, it doesn’t force you to video call to talk or chat. However, Slack also allows for audio and video conferencing. Many teams use its instant messaging and audio conferencing features to brainstorm ideas in real time. According to Bit.ai, the platform also integrates popular video conferencing platforms like zoom, Microsoft teams, google hangouts, and more to help users join calls and meetings without leaving conversations in Slack.
9. Whereby
Whereby is a free browser-based zoom alternative for video meetings. This video conferencing tool was built by a Norwegian company. It only has video conferencing and no phone calls or messages. It has dramatically emphasized providing a hassle-free and easy user experience while participating in or hosting video meetings. Because it has put all its efforts into its video quality, companies can host accessible and reliable video meetings with high-quality picture quality. With Whereby, you don’t need to install any apps or software, and no guest logins. Since it is browser-based, you can integrate Whereby video calls directly to your website or app.
8. Blue Jeans by Verizon
Verizon’s Blue jeans video conferencing platform is a cloud-based software with video, audio, web conferencing, and live streams. Although Blue jeans is not a widely used platform, people who have used it have praised its friendly UI and high-quality audio and video recording. The platform uses Dolby Voice technology for high-quality audio and video recording.
Blue jeans virtual meetings software comes with a few great features like secure conversations, which are protected by 256-bit encryption, enhanced gallery views, virtual backgrounds, and breakout sessions. Users are also able to add actions to meetings and tag moments. This platform also has automatic captioning, screen readers, and keyboard controls, improving accessibility. However, Blue Jeans doesn’t have a free user package, unlike Zoom.
7. Skype Meet Now
Skype, a popular video conferencing app, is owned by Microsoft and is one of the oldest virtual meeting apps. According to Proof Hub, Skype has been around since 2003, when its beta was released, and has been the go-to platform for personal and professional one-on-one video chats. Many job interviews have been conducted via skype for years now. Since Zoom became very popular because of its collaborative features, Skype decided to add some features to its platform. Skype made the platform into a browser-based platform that you can use without signing up for a service or downloading the software. Besides being browser-accessible, users can also install Skype on their desktop or mobile. With Skype meet now, users can host meetings of up to 50 people.
6. DialPad
DialPad is an excellent alternative to zoom. It offers many functional communication products to businesses that only make the video conferencing experience much better. The platform uses AI to enhance user experiences. According to Dialpad, its artificial intelligence creates live transcriptions and captions during meetings, tracks metrics and keywords, and delivers a call summary right after. DialPad offers high-quality audio with an intelligent noise cancellation feature. You can also chat with other meeting participants without interrupting the speaker. The platform allows users to make and receive calls from their web browser, and clients and meeting participants don’t have to download the app to join meetings. They can join from their browsers. It integrates with most business tools like Google calendar and Microsoft 365.
5. Team Viewer
The Team Viewer application is a good choice for a zoom alternative. It is excellent for large corporations that need effective online communication and collaboration. The platform uses 256-bit encryption to protect video calls, chats, and shared documents. Users can lock their meeting rooms and use two-factor authentication to join meetings, message, record meetings, and collaborate easily across all devices. Team Viewer has features like remote controls and pre-meeting setup screens, and users can also share multiple monitors. Individuals can access Team Viewer for free, but only for personal use. Corporations have to buy one of the platform’s packages, which are a little pricey.
4. GoToMeeting
GoToMeeting is web-hosted video conferencing software that is designed for corporate use. It is accessible using your desktop, as a mobile app, and via your browser. The platform uses 256-bit encryption to secure video meetings, chats, and audio. Users can use meeting locks and passwords to control who can join meetings. Apart from its strong security measures, GoToMeeting also offers screen sharing, customizable backgrounds, transcriptions, meeting recording, and provides meeting reports at the end of every meeting. It is excellent for video conferences as it can host up to 3000 participants in one meeting. Because it wasn’t designed for personal use, the platform doesn’t offer any free package.
3. Cisco Webex
Webex is among the most used video conferencing platforms apart from zoom. It is especially popular in the corporate world, designed primarily for businesses. The platform offers fantastic video and audio quality and allows users to conduct instant virtual meetings. Webex has a wide range of collaboration tools for business meetings, and users can make meetings more lively using presentations, background noise cancellation, emojis, live transcription, and captioning. The platform works with over 100 third-party applications, so it is easy to integrate your business. It has a free option for users who only want to host meetings not exceeding 50 Minutes with up to 100 participants. Businesses can pay for packages starting at $14 a month.
2. Google Meet
Google meet, formerly known as google hangouts, is Google’s solution for video meetings. In the past, access to google meet was only for educators and people who paid to use G Suite, but after zoom became popular, google made the Meets platform accessible to Gmail users. Google meet is integrated with G Suite, so users can quickly join meetings directly from a Gmail invite or from a saved calendar event. Its dial-in feature allows guests to join a meeting without data or WIFI. Like zoom, google meets allows for breakout rooms, customizable background, meeting recordings, screen sharing, and messaging. But unlike zoom, you can join a meeting quickly from your browser and don’t have to install an app. It also offers a free version for users, but businesses need to use the paid version to access certain features.
1. Microsoft Teams
Microsoft is one of the best video conferencing alternatives to zoom available. It has become very popular in the corporate community as more people continue to work remotely. According to Tech Radar, Microsoft Team’s ability to integrate with Microsoft’s Office 365 apps like Powerpoint, Excel, and OneDrive makes it a very appealing and easy-to-use platform for remote office teams. The platform includes customized or blurred backgrounds, screen sharing, meeting recordings, breakout rooms, live transcription, and captions. Microsoft teams offer a free version to users but with limited features.
